Journey to Gracidea
by Hunter Stag
Summary: An Aura Chronicles story. Hunter and his team come across a Shaymin on the road. On their way to helping it find the new flower garden, Hunter learns more about the mysterious enemy he has inadvertently made. Rated T for some violence near the end.
1. Chapter 1

Hunter and Umbreon walked through a forest, both quiet except for the sounds of their feet scuffing the ground. The noon sun was high in the air, and Hunter wiped his sweating brow as he looked at Umbreon. "You hungry?"

A loud growl came from Umbreon's stomach, making the shadow fox blush. Hunter smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

They walked over to the shade of a nearby tree. Hunter opened his backpack and took out six bowls and a small bag of Pokémon food. After filling each bowl, he took five Poké Balls from his belt and tossed them high in the air. In five bright flashes of light, a Scyther, a Typhlosion, a Charizard, a Raichu, and a Swellow appeared. Stretching and making noises of relief after being released from their Poké Balls, they all soon spotted the food and dove in.

Hunter smiled as he watched his team eat. Over the course of the six months he'd been away from Veilstone and the family he had there, he had caught them and raised them as best as he could. Sitting down and pulling out some human food, he began eating, watching them each finish their meal. It was quiet except for the sounds of chewing.

Then the bushes rustled. The others noticed nothing, but Hunter's eyes slowly moved to his left, where the noise had come from. Closing his eyes he could see a small form, no longer than his foot, inching through the bushes. Getting up and keeping his eyes closed, Hunter walked over to the bushes and reached in.

He immediately retracted the hand along with a curse as tiny, yet sharp, teeth bit one of his fingers. Reaching in with the other hand he felt something soft and pulled, coming up with a Pokémon that looked like a cross between a snow-white hedgehog and a small patch of grass. Two flowers graced the sides of its head like a pair of earrings.

Hunter's eyebrows rose in surprise. _A Shaymin?_

A female voice suddenly filled his head. Long accustomed to telekinetic Pokémon, Hunter only listened. _Could you put me down, please?_

Hunter obliged, then knelt down. Reaching down with his thumb he turned the Shaymin's head upwards towards him. "If you wanted food, you could have come out and asked. Were you planning to steal some?"

Shaymin nodded ashamedly. Hunter scratched its head. "It's okay. Come on." Picking Shaymin up, he carried it over to the group's campsite. Shaking a small amount of food into his hands, he lay down on the ground and held it out to Shaymin. It came closer and began to eat. Hunter nodded. _Good. It trusts me._

After Shaymin finished eating, it climbed into Hunter's hands and curled up. Hunter sat back down, looking at it curiously. "So, why are you out here all by yourself?"

_I got separated from the others. I have to get to where we're going to be planting the flower garden._

Hunter recalled his conversation with Reggie and Maylene, recalling that he'd wanted to see it. _To see it actually planted would make it even better._ Cocking his head to one side, he smiled. "Well, you won't make it walking as you are. I could help you get there."

Shaymin looked at him in surprise. _Really?_

Hunter nodded. "Of course. I've always wanted to see a Gracidea flower garden."

Shaymin smiled. _Thank you! Can we go now?_

Hunter looked up. All of the others had finished eating, and were watching him. He nodded. "Well, since we're all done eating, I guess so."

He returned all of his Pokémon except Umbreon to their Poké Balls and got up, placing Shaymin on his shoulder. It looked around before pointing into the forest. _It's that way! Let's go!_

Hunter started walking in the direction Shaymin had pointed, Umbreon calmly walking beside him. He looked at Shaymin. "So, can you give me anything more specific than 'that way'?"

_Um…_really_ far that way?_

"How far is really far?"

_I don't know! It's just really far!_

Hunter sighed. "All right, I can see that I'm not going to get a straight answer out of you. We'll go to the nearest Pokémon center, and we can look at a map." He took Umbreon's Poké Ball off of his belt and pointed it at Umbreon. The black fox didn't protest as it disappeared inside the ball with a flash of red light. Hunter stopped and assumed the position that one would associate with starting a marathon. He looked at Shaymin. "Hold on tight. For someone as small as you, this probably won't be fun."

He started running, laughing in exhilaration at the familiar sensation of wind rippling across his face. He could feel Shaymin digging more and more into the strap on his backpack. It was like a limpet, almost.

_Can we slow down, please?_ it asked. Hunter rolled his eyes and slowed down to a jog, though they were still making good progress. As he ran down the path, Hunter looked at Shaymin again. "So, why are you all by yourself?"

_I got separated from the others. They didn't wait for me!_

"Well, where were you?"

_Um…in the town we were close to._

"And why did you go there?"

_I was curious, _was the reply.

"Curiousity killed the Persian, Shaymin. Don't worry, though. I'll get you there as fast as I can. Do you know where they might be going? Do they give you all a description of what it looked like in case any of you got lost?"

_They don't think we're curious enough to get lost._

"Of course," Hunter muttered. "Well, we should be getting close to a Pokémon center soon. We'll stop there, spend the night, then keep going tomorrow. That all right with you?"

Shaymin nodded. _Uh-huh!_

Hunter smiled. "Good. Everyone's happy then."

**Took me a while to write this. I started it months ago, but ran into a case of writer's block. I finished it a few weeks ago, so you won't have to wait for updates. Read and Review! **


	2. Chapter 2

The Pokémon center that they stopped at that night was on the side of a well-traveled road. Hunter had gotten his own room and released Umbreon, keeping the rest inside their Poké Balls. He sat on his bed cross-legged, his eyes shut. Though on the outside he looked like he was only meditating, on the inside he was doing something far more difficult. His vision filled with flaring Aura, his eyes roamed the landscape of Sinnoh behind their lids. Finally, he came across Veilstone City, and more specifically, the gym.

Inside it, he could see five Aura signatures. Maylene and her Lucario, along with Taren, Mara, and little Lucar, asleep in his mother's arms. He opened his eyes as he felt another awareness gently pushing into his mind.

_Dad? Is that you?_

Hunter smiled. _Yeah. It's me. How are you doing?_

_Fine. Maylene and Reggie have been really good to us. What are you up to?_

_In the middle of helping someone._

_Am I right to guess that someone is a Pok__émon?_

_You should have been practicing. See if you can find out._

_Let's see…_ the presence intensified for a moment, then returned to its original strength. _A Shaymin. Right?_

Hunter smiled and nodded. _Yep. You _have _been practicing._

_Did you ever think that I wasn't?_

_Maybe. Be careful, son._

_You too, Dad. _

_I love you._

_Love you too. Bye._

The presence receded. Hunter smiled and flopped down onto his bed. Umbreon walked across the room and jumped up onto his mattress, laying its head down on his stomach. Shaymin had been sharing a bed with Umbreon until that happened. It didn't stir as Umbreon got up.

The next morning, Shaymin sat watching as Hunter trained with his Pokémon. At the moment, he had his Scyther out. The green, blade-armed Bug Pokémon was slashing at him with its claws, its moves thwarted at every turn by the boy's dodging skills. Scyther finally retreated and then began to slice the air rapidly, silver crescents flying through the air as it did.

_Air Cutter?_ Hunter thought as he started to dodge the attack. _Very nice. _He backflipped over another slice and then conjured an Aura Sphere, flinging it at Scyther. The Bug Pokémon dodged the attack and then used Double Team, multiplying itself until copies surrounded its trainer.

Hunter smiled. "Clever, Scyther!" he said aloud. "But let's see if you have any better luck!"

The Scyther army obliged, flying forward, their arms slashing the air.

Hunter spun through the air, his feet lashing out. The first one knocked the outstretched arm of a Scyther aside while the second came down on its head. The foot drove the Scyther's face into the ground and the copy disappeared. Hunter landed and then pressed his hand into the ground, spinning on it like a top before launching a devastating kick to another Scyther's chin. Its back arched like a U as its torso bent backwards. The copy disappeared, and as Hunter landed, he sent a pulse of Aura through the air. The Scyther copies went flying, all landing on the ground and disappearing, though the final one, the real Scyther, shot forward and slashed. Hunter dodged it and caught the next attack on the back of his hand, holding it there as a blue barrier pulsed around his hand, saving it from injury.

The stunned look on Scyther's face was enough to Hunter that he'd taken the Bug Pokémon by surprise. It let its arms fall and sat down, despondent. Hunter knelt down in front of it and smiled. "Relax, Scyther. Just because you can't hit me doesn't mean you can't hit any other Pokémon you fight."

Scyther looked up with a confused "_Scy_?"

"I'm not a Pokémon. Plus, I have an unfair advantage. I'm sure you'd do well in a real battle."

Scyther thought about that for a moment, then nodded and smiled. "_Scyther!"_

Hunter nodded back and helped it up. "All right, go and rest. I think it's someone else's turn now."

Scyther's wings began flapping and it moved over next to Shaymin, sitting down beside the little Grass Pokémon.

Hunter walked over to where his backpack was and then grabbed a Poké Ball. He spun and tossed it into the air. "Raichu, go!"

There was a flash of bright light and his Raichu appeared, shaking itself and swishing its long tail from side to side. It looked at its trainer and then assumed a stance that made it look as if it were about to start a race.

Hunter assumed his own fighting stance. "All right, Raichu! Do your best to try and hit me!"

Raichu's yellow cheeks sparked and it let out a loud _Raaaaiiiichuuuuuu!_ as it let loose with a massive bolt of lightning.

Hunter flung his arms up in front of him and the lightning struck a blue barrier that had appeared out of nowhere. As the beam split and broke across the shield's surface, it tore up small gouges in the earth and sent arcs of electricity flying into the sky.

Shaymin looked at Scyther. _Why does he do that?_

Scyther looked back at Hunter for a moment and then back at Shaymin. "_Scyther, scy scy scyther scy._"

_It's good practice?_

"_Scy scy scyther scy scyther scy._"

_Oh. That makes sense. Do you ever get into battles?_

Scyther shook his head. "_Scyther scy scyther scy scy._"

_He doesn't like to watch you get hurt?_

Scyther shook his head again.

Shaymin looked back at Hunter and Raichu. The electric mouse Pokémon was starting to get tired, the formerly massive bolt of lightning decreasing in size by the second. Hunter hadn't moved at all, and he had now taken one of his hands away from the shield and was conjuring an Aura Sphere inside it. When it was large enough, he forced the arm holding the shield away. The bolt of lightning shot to the side and hit the ground, causing a large explosion as the blue light that was the Aura Sphere shot across the space between them. Raichu barely dodged it, then jumped and spun. The end of its tail shining pure white, it slammed the tail into the ground, sending a large fissure crawling along the ground towards its trainer.

Hunter jumped to the side then ran forward. Raichu spun again, its tail lashing out, only to encounter empty air as Hunter slid under the attack. Raichu was too slow to dodge as Hunter rolled on top of it, grabbed it around the middle, and held it in the air as he finally slid to a stop. Hunter smiled, his face covered in dust. "Very nice, Raichu. That Thundershock's getting stronger every day."

He set Raichu down and nudged it off towards Shaymin and Scyther.

They continued like that for the rest of the day, each of Hunter's Pokémon taking it in turns to give their all to trying to hit him. None of them succeeded, and by the end of the day each of Hunter's Pokémon were covered in dust, exhausted, but happy.

After a quick bath all around, each one went to bed. As Hunter climbed into bed, he looked at Shaymin. "Today was a rest stop. We'd been traveling nonstop for about two weeks, so we need to play around once in a while. We'll set out again tomorrow."

Shaymin nodded. _Thanks. _

Hunter sat up on his bed and picked Shaymin up with Aura, bringing it across the room and plopping the little Pokémon down on his bed. He turned to face Shaymin. "Shaymin, I need you to be very still. I'm going to look around your head for a minute."

_Will it hurt?_

"I'll try not to hurt you, don't worry."

Shaymin screwed its eyes shut and nodded. _I'm ready._

Hunter nodded and gently placed his hands on the sides of Shaymin's head.

Images flashed through his mind. A blurred image, followed by clearer ones with two other Shaymin. He watched as the group that Shaymin was part of went from location to location, planting flowers and staying there for a time before moving on. He pressed deeper into Shaymin's head, hoping that there was _some_ form of map in there. Finally, he found something. There was a mountain, and near the top there was a small plateau that jutted out over a valley. Hunter's eyes snapped open and he breathed deeply.

_What did you see?_ Shaymin asked.

"I saw where we're supposed to go, I think. Inside your instincts. We'll make our way there."

Shaymin cocked its head to one side. _How long will it take?_

"I don't know, Shaymin. I don't know how far away it is or what direction it's in. Anyways, I'll have to look tomorrow. But we'll still get going. I promise."

Shaymin nodded. _Thank you, Hunter._

"You're welcome, Shaymin. Now go to sleep."

Shaymin dutifully did so. Hunter fell onto his back and closed his eyes.

His dreams that night were of roars, cries of pain, a crumbling noise, and a pair of lights, one pink and one blue.

**Bit of foreshadowing for you there. R and R!**


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning as the Pokémon ate breakfast, Hunter looked at a map posted on the wall of the Pokémon Center's billboard. Tracing his finger along a route, he finally stopped at a small mountain range. Nodding, he turned and walked back to the others just as they finished eating. "I've found our route. Come on, everyone."

He took out his Poké Balls and enlarged them, pointing them at Scyther, Raichu, Swellow, Typhlosion, and Charizard. The five disappeared into the balls with flashes of red light. Hunter shrunk the balls and placed them on his belt, then shouldered his backpack and left the building with Shaymin on his shoulder and Umbreon at his heels. As they made their way down the road, Hunter looked at the mountains that were in full view. He bit his lip as he remembered how long it would take them to get there. At least three days, he remembered. And there were some strong wild Pokémon there. He wasn't worried about that part, though. He could take care of himself.

There weren't any Pokémon Centers for the rest of the journey, but that didn't bother him either. He nodded. It should be simple. As long as they didn't run into any trouble.

Things went smoothly the whole way, and when they got to a place where they could camp that night, Hunter sat against a tree, watching his Pokémon relax after a day of travel. It was typical of them to do their own things. Charizard and Swellow soared through the air, twisting and rolling in the sky as they dealt with the euphoria of being out of their Poké Balls. Down below, Typhlosion was asleep. Umbreon, Raichu, and Shaymin were curled up with it, sharing the Fire Pokémon's warmth.

Hunter reached inside his backpack and took out his long-unused sketch pad. He began drawing, taking in the scene of the four sleeping together. Umbreon and Raichu were curled up in the curve of Typhlosion's stomach, their backs pressed into the cream-colored fur. Shaymin lay draped over Typhlosion's spine, its back rising and falling as it breathed the deep breaths of slumber.

As he drew, he looked up and saw Typhlosion open an eye. The Fire Pokémon smiled, then closed the eye again. Hunter smiled back and completed the drawing as Charizard and Swellow landed, exhausted. Both Pokémon went to sleep immediately, but Hunter wasn't quite ready. He had looked around the area while his Pokémon had been cavorting around the clearing. There was a pond nearby. He got up silently, then crept out of the campsite and towards the place.

As he came into the clearing, he was struck by the beauty of it all. It reminded him of that one day with Lucario, all those years ago… the day of relaxation after days of nothing but nightmares.

He stretched his hands out towards the water, feeling the Aura pulsing through his body. The water in the pool began to shift, finally beginning to spin. Hunter moved his hands around, causing the water to form into a large pillar slightly taller than he was. He began to spin it, widen it, and then swung it out of the water to curl around himself. He widened the pillar even more, until it formed a sphere around him. He enjoyed the cool spray on his face, though when he opened his eyes he nearly lost control of the sphere.

Lucario stood outside, his arms folded. Hunter manipulated the water away from him and then threw it back into the lake, causing a huge splash. Hunter shielded himself from the water, then walked up to Lucario. "Long time, no see."

Lucario nodded. _So it would seem. How have you been?_

"Well enough. You?"

_Watching you and your family has been entertaining, to say the least. The Riolu is very energetic. And you have become more powerful than even I could imagine._

Hunter smiled grimly. "Hard to say whether I feel flattered or sad about that."

Lucario bit his lip and nodded again. _True. Do you want to know why I am here?_

"Shoot."

_I came to warn you._

"About what?" Hunter asked, cocking his head.

_About the trip you are on with Shaymin. Not everything is as it seems._

"What could be so confusing about it? Get Shaymin from here" he said, pointing at the ground, "to _there_." He pointed at the mountain. "Simple!"

_While that may be true, there is something there that may cause problems for you._

"In what way?"

_I have sensed a…gap…in the Aura of the world. The gap is moving, coming this way._

"Something that doesn't have an Aura?"

_Quite possibly. I want you to be careful, Hunter. Do not mistake this for a regular journey. If I am correct, it will bring you into contact with an enemy far beyond your imagining._

"What enemy?"

_I really can't say. I am only allowed to watch you. But that does not mean I cannot sense threats to you._

"Allowed? By who? Is someone stopping you from telling me what's coming?"

_Yes and no. Yes, because the being keeping me from telling you this is standing directly behind me, though you can't see it. No, because this being has no idea what the threat is, either. It is new. Alien. But we can sense its intentions. They are in no way good._

"Does this have anything to do with Taren's disappearance?" Hunter asked, remembering that time six months ago when he had feared that Taren was dead, only to find him on Iron Island set on killing him. Fortune had nearly reversed the situation, though with the aid of Sinnoh's legendary trio, Taren's life had been saved. Despite the as-of-yet unknown identity of who would want Hunter dead, the boy was not unduly worried.

Lucario placed an immaterial paw on his apprentice's shoulder. _Be safe, won't you?_

Hunter nodded. "I will. Don't worry."

Lucario smiled and disappeared.

Hunter looked at the shimmering particles of Aura his teacher's ghost had left behind, then walked back to camp.

Shaymin awoke the next morning lying on the ground under the blue membrane of Charizard's wing. Moving itself out from under the wing, it looked out at the campsite.

Swellow, Umbreon, Raichu, and Charizard were calmly watching Hunter play a wild game of tag with Typhlosion. The Fire Pokémon was foiling all of Hunter's tricks to shake it off.

Shaymin stepped completely out from under the cover of Charizard's wing just in time to see Typhlosion tackle Hunter. The boy fell onto his behind, laughing as Typhlosion's huge tongue gave his cheek two big, sloppy licks.

The others made a variety of noises that sounded similar to laughter. Hunter managed to push Typhlosion off, rubbing his cheek with one hand and scratching Typhlosion behind the ears with the other. Typhlosion made a happy noise as Hunter rose and looked at the others, then at Shaymin. "Oh, good. We were waiting for you to wake up."

_Are we leaving soon?_

"Right now, as a matter of fact. The rest of you can follow us; I won't put you back in Poké Balls today."

The Pokémon gave their assent to this plan and Hunter grinned. They set off down the road, Swellow, Scyther, and Charizard flying around them as Hunter, Umbreon, Raichu, Shaymin, and Typhlosion walked along the path. Hunter looked up at the mountain, new worries aroused by Lucario's words.

_What could be coming?_ he thought. _And what does it want with me?_

**You'll see who's stopping Lucario in a few more chapters, and by the end of this story you'll find out who tried to kill Hunter, though if you were paying attention in the fourth story you'll already know. R and R!**


	4. Chapter 4

As noon approached they stopped for lunch. While Hunter laid out food, Shaymin suddenly became distracted by a small patch of flowers on the edge of their campsite. Hunter watched it get closer to the flowers. "Shaymin? Are you okay?"

Shaymin didn't answer, instead touching its nose to the center of one of the flowers. It immediately began to glow, its body slimming and changing shape. When the light faded, Shaymin had changed from a snow-white hedgehog crossed with a patch of grass to what looked like a tiny reindeer. Small, antler-like wings protruded from its head like horns and a pair of red flower petals showed on its neck, giving Hunter the impression that Shaymin wore a tiny bandana. The little Pokémon jumped into the air and flew up to Hunter's head. Setting down on the boy's shoulder, it smiled at him and when it spoke its voice was now decidedly more masculine, though it still sounded as young as its previous form. _So? What do you think?_

"How'd you do that?"

_This is my Sky Form. All of my friends change too when it's time for us to move to another place to plant a flower garden._

Umbreon was in the process of sniffing the flowers. Some of the pollen was blown up its nose by the wind and it recoiled, shaking its head, screwing its face up, and sneezing. Shaymin laughed as it watched. Hunter, in the meantime, watched Shaymin. There was a lot about this little Pokémon that he didn't know. He walked over to the flowers and picked a few, putting them gently into a small pocket of his backpack. Shaymin looked at him. _Why'd you do that?_

"These may come in handy later."

He looked at the others. "Do you guys want lunch or not?"

They all smiled and dug in, Shaymin flying into the air and knocking an apple down from the tree they were under. Hunter managed to dodge it and watched the small red fruit hit the ground with a gentle thump. Shaymin flew down and took a large bite of it, its small cheeks bulging as it chewed.

Hunter took out some of his own food and began eating. He looked at Shaymin. "Can't you just fly there now?"

Shaymin stopped with its open mouth centimeters away from another bit of apple. It looked at him. _No._

"Why?"

_Because I want you to see it too! You're already doing a lot for me by taking me there! I could at least let you get a glimpse of it._

Hunter smiled. "Thanks, Shaymin. I've wanted to see a Gracidea garden for a while."

_You will soon! _Shaymin took another bit bite of apple and started chewing busily. Hunter finished his own lunch and sat back against the tree, closing his eyes.

_Shattered buildings. An abandoned plaza. Explosions. Fires. A shape in the air, a flash of red and green, and a flash of blue light._

_Hunter! Hunter, wake up!_

Hunter's eyes fluttered open and he looked around, his eyes finally coming to rest on Shaymin, who was on his chest, its green eyes fixed worriedly on his face. _What happened?_

"I took a nap. Is that bad?"

_You were screaming in your sleep. I'd say that's bad!_

Hunter threw himself forward onto his hands and knees. "It was nothing, Shaymin. A nightmare."

_Are you sure?_

Hunter's eyes snapped around to the little Gratitude Pokémon. "I said I was _fine_, Shaymin!"

Shaymin flew backwards a short distance, its expression hurt. _Sorry..._

Irritated, Hunter got up and started to pack up. "Come on. We've still got a lot of ground to cover."

They started out again. Shaymin now kept its distance away from Hunter, lying on top of Typhlosion's head as it watched the boy. Hunter didn't look at anything but the road ahead, at none of his Pokémon and especially not at Shaymin.

Shaymin looked down at Typhlosion. The Fire Pokémon turned its eyes to look up at Shaymin's face.

_What do you think is wrong with him?_ Shaymin asked.

Typhlosion made a series of neutral-toned grunts.

_Is he normally like this?_

Typhlosion shook its head.

_Why do you think he got angry?_

Typhlosion made another series of grunts. Shaymin looked up at Hunter. _You're right. We probably should just give him time to let it off._

Typhlosion nodded and the group continued in silence, Swellow and Charizard flying above them as the rest walked. Umbreon approached its trainer and looked up at him, its red eyes reproachful. Hunter looked at it. "I said I was fine, Umbreon. And don't do the guilt trip thing, because it isn't going to work."

_Umbre!_ Umbreon said.

"Don't do that. I haven't had dreams like this since Taren was little. I don't want any reminding of whatever might be coming for me."

Umbreon didn't say anything in reply, merely staring at him. Hunter sighed. "And no, I don't know what might be coming. We'll just have to wait and see."

Umbreon sighed and dropped back.

That night, they stopped on the grassy shores of a lake. Almost immediately after setting his backpack down, Hunter walked over to Charizard and whispered in the dragon Pokémon's ear. Charizard looked at its trainer and nodded. Hunter then climbed on its back almost immediately in front of the wings and Charizard took off, flying into the night. Shaymin, now back to its previous form, looked at Raichu. _He'll be back, won't he?_

Raichu nodded. Shaymin looked up at Charizard's receding shape.

**Hm. Anyways, next chapter you'll find our who else is always hanging over Lucario's shoulder. R and R!**


	5. Chapter 5

Charizard came to rest on the top of an isolated hill. Hunter got off and sat down. Charizard lay down beside him, looking at its trainer. Hunter sighed.

_Trouble?_

Hunter looked over to see Lucario standing there. His teacher walked over to him and sat down, imitating Hunter's posture of resting his chin on his knees with his arms around his legs. Hunter sighed again. _I had a vision again, I think. I don't want to think about this stuff, Lucario. I'm tired of trouble finding me wherever I go._

_It's not your fault_, Lucario said, looking at his student. _The powerful always attract trouble. Maybe you are a buffer against the trouble to keep it away from others._

Hunter snorted. _Very confident of that, aren't you?_

_Yes. Don't forget, Hunter, that even though you're powerful and becoming more so all the time, you still have much to learn. You haven't developed any new skills since you trained with me._

_I don't know how!_ Hunter replied, narrowing his eyes. _How do you expect me to learn more without someone here to teach me? _

_Experiment. See what you can and can't do._

_Isn't that dangerous?_

_Maybe. But would you be caught unprepared by an enemy that is more powerful than anything you can deal with at the moment, or have a foe that has no idea what you are capable of?_

_The latter, I guess. Are you alone, wherever you are?_

_No. Whenever I speak to you, I am always being watched to make sure I do not give you any more knowledge than what you are supposed to know._

_Just how well prepared for the world do you want me to be?_

_I can't help it! There's no arguing with a metaphysical entity, especially one that controls the existence of everything._

_Including the whatever-it-is that apparently wants my head? A creation gone awry, perhaps?_

Lucario appeared to look up at the sky, then looked back down. _It didn't like that. You should be careful of what you say._

_What's it going to do? If it's supposed to be so powerful, why doesn't it do something to prove it?_

Lucario looked up again, then bit his lip. _You're about to wish you hadn't said that…_

His prediction was proven right. Hunter suddenly felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest. Crying out in shock and pain, he fell over onto the grassy hilltop, thrashing and screaming. Lucario was on his feet now, shouting at the sky.

_Stop it! Stop it now!_

_He must learn to respect that which he does not understand,_ said a voice far more powerful yet far calmer than Lucario could ever be.

_At the expense of his life?_ Lucario argued. _There is no one else! If you kill him, what will the world come to?_

All the time this was happening, Hunter was writhing on the ground in pain. Charizard was on its feet too, staring at its trainer and helpless to fight whatever foe was attacking him.

_He knows! He'll respect you now!_

_You are merely saying that to stop me,_ said the voice.

The pain in Hunter's chest, if it was possible, intensified. Through the insanity brought on by the sensation, he bet that his screaming could probably be heard in the nearest town.

Lucario ran around Hunter's writhing form, horror and worry written all over his face. _Stop it! I'm begging you!_

_No. _

_ARCEUS!_ Lucario roared. _LET HIM GO!_

_Arceus?_ Hunter thought through the pain, which disappeared as suddenly as it had come and left him gasping for breath. He rolled over onto his hands and knees and retched, vomit splattering the ground until there was nothing but dry heaves left.

He looked up at Lucario. And at the being standing behind him.

A giant, white, four-legged Pokémon with what appeared to be a golden collar around its waist stood behind his teacher. For the first time in Hunter's memory, Lucario looked decidedly nervous.

_You are audacious to the point of foolishness, human,_ Arceus said. _That may well be what kills you in the end._

Hunter glared. "If you don't first."

Arceus growled and stepped forward. Lucario stood in front of Hunter. _Don't. Please._

Arceus narrowed its eyes and turned away. It disappeared and Lucario turned to look at his student. _Arceus could kill you anytime it wants. Please, just do with the information you have now._

Hunter sighed. "Life was so much simpler when I was just a wanderer."

Lucario smiled. _I have no doubt. But now you have a destiny, and the means to achieve it. _

"Maybe. But I don't know what it is."

_You'll see. Don't expect to see me for a while after this. Arceus may forbid me to talk to you for your impertinence. _

"If it tortures me and I can't fight back, it doesn't deserve my respect."

Lucario sighed. _Goodbye, Hunter._

"Goodbye, Lucario."

His teacher disappeared.

Hunter sat down and harrumphed. Charizard began sniffing its trainer, burying its large nose in his hair and inhaling deeply as it searched for anything that could be wrong.

Hunter smiled and moved his head out from under Charizard's nose. "I'm okay, Charizard."

Charizard smiled and leaned close to its trainer. Hunter smiled and put up with it as Charizard gave his cheek a big, wet lick. Hunter laughed as Charizard maneuvered its head in front of his face and blew hot air through its nostrils and into Hunter's face. The boy patted Charizard's head, inciting a barrage of licks to his face. Hunter laughed as Charizard knocked him onto his back, the dragon Pokémon licking his face over and over again. When Hunter finally managed to force Charizard's head upwards and away from him, his face was soaked in saliva. Hunter got up and wiped a hand across his face that did little to help dry it. "Okay," he said, still laughing a little. "Okay, I'm all right now. Let's head back."

Charizard smiled and let its trainer mount it. Spreading its wings it took off in a gust of air, heading back to the campsite.

In the tree, a Noctowl watched the Charizard fly off of the hill. Its eyes glowing purple, they then resumed their normal color.

Charizard and Hunter got back to the campsite after everyone else had fallen asleep. Swellow was in a tree, its head buried under its wing. Umbreon, Raichu, and Shaymin were all sleeping together, Shaymin on top of Raichu's back. Scyther had its back against a tree, and was sleeping with its arms folded.

Typhlosion was beside Hunter's backpack, apparently guarding it. It opened one eye as he walked over and sat down. He smiled and scratched it behind the ears. "Thanks, buddy. Could you scoot over?"

Typhlosion smiled and got up, moving over a few steps. Hunter lay down and rested his head on the backpack. Typhlosion put its head on his chest and went back to sleep.

**Charizard and Typhlosion are two of Hunter's more affectionate Pokemon. And if you've seen the English dub of the latest movie with Arceus in it, disregard his voice. I imagine Arceus sounding like a cross between Peter Cullen and Sovereign from Mass Effect. R and R!**


	6. Chapter 6

Hunter woke to something warm and wet sliding up his cheek. He moved his head to one side and the something slid across his neck. Turning his head straight up, he finally opened his eyes to see Typhlosion's nose inches away from his own. As he sat up the Fire Pokémon made a happy noise at the sight of its now-awake trainer and licked Hunter's face from chin to forehead.

Hunter pushed Typhlosion away and ran a hand over his face. Looking around, he saw that the others were just waking up.

Shaymin seemed to be the most alert. It walked over to Hunter's backpack and sniffed the Gracidea flowers again. Hunter shut his eyes against the light and then began to dig around in his backpack. After laying out breakfast, eating, and packing up, Hunter got up and slung his backpack over his shoulders. "Come on, guys. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

As they set out, Hunter reviewed the map in his head. They should reach the mountain by tonight. They'd stop at the base of the mountain, then start making their way up to the Shaymin's flower garden.

Simple. In theory. Hunter would have to recall all of his Pokémon. He wasn't going to let Charizard, Scyther, or Swellow get hurt just because they thought they could fly up there. Even though he could probably catch them, he needed to be focused in order to get to the top quickly.

He had all of his Pokémon except Umbreon in their Poké Balls today. He therefore was able to focus suddenly on the people running in the opposite direction, some of them carrying injured Pokémon. Hunter stopped one. "Excuse me, what's going on?"

"There's an Aggron on that mountain, and it's gone crazy! Nobody can go up there without being attacked!"

Hunter bit his lip as the guy ran on. He looked up at Shaymin, who was staring around at all of the people. "What do you think? Should we keep going?"

Shaymin nodded. _We have to get there. No matter what._

Hunter smiled. "That's the spirit."

He and Umbreon started running, Shaymin flying after them.

They stopped short a few minutes later after coming to a small clearing. Wild Pokémon lay everywhere, all with varying degrees of injury. Hunter gently picked up a Rattata that was scorched and bruised. It curled up in fear at his touch.

He looked up at the mountain. _Why would a wild Pok__émon want to do something like this?_

He looked at Umbreon. "What do you think?"

Umbreon got up on its hind legs long enough to give a passable imitation of a shrug, then looked up at the cliff. Hunter looked at Shaymin. "Stay here."

_No! _Shaymin said. _I'm coming with you!_

"This is no time to argue, Shaymin. I don't know how good you are in a fight, and I need the best I can get right now. So _stay here_."

_But I…_

"_Stay_, Shaymin!"

Hunter called Umbreon into its Poké Ball and ran up to the mountain. He leapt onto one rock, then another, deftly jumping up the mountain. Back on the ground, Shaymin watched in surprise. _I didn't know he could do that…_

Hunter looked up at the top of the cliff. He almost didn't see the bright beam of light come slashing at him.

Jumping to the side, he barely managed to avoid getting hit by it. Instead he watched as the beam blew the ledge he had just been on to pieces. He sped up his jumping; not wanting to stay in one place for too long in case his attacker got a bead on him.

When he finally got to the top he had to roll out of the way of another Hyper Beam. Rolling to a kneeling position, he looked up.

An Aggron stood there, staring at him. There was something different about it though…

Its eyes were a bright purple.

Hunter's mind was inadvertently cast back into the fight in the cavern. Taren's eyes had been that exact same shade…

_Could it be the same?_

The Aggron roared again and fired a third Hyper Beam. Hunter cast an Aura Sphere at it, the two attacks colliding and causing a blue-and-gold explosion that Hunter found oddly pretty if it hadn't been comprised of such deadly forces of energy.

He took every Poké Ball he had from his belt and threw them all into the air. Umbreon, Swellow, Raichu, Typhlosoin, Charizard, and Scyther all appeared, in a line facing the Aggron. It didn't appear intimidated in the slightest, merely roaring at the sight of them and charging up a Flash Cannon. It fired the white beam of light streaking towards the team.

Charizard and Typhlosion reacted first, both opening their mouths and letting loose with enormous streams of fire that hit the Flash Cannon, causing the three colliding attacks to explode and cover the cliff top path with dust.

Hunter pointed. "Umbreon, Night Charge! The rest of you, get ready!"

Umbreon's eyes began to glow black outlined in purple and it ran forward, the Night Shade it was firing as it went flaring around it like a black supernova. Umbreon jumped forward and hit Aggron, but merely bounced off of and over it, landing on the opposite side. It had to move farther away as the Aggron swung its tail at it. The Aggron looked back just in time to see Typhlosion.

The Fire Pokémon was charging at it, its body enveloped in a Flame Wheel attack. With a loud "_Bra-CKAR!" _Typhlosion hit Aggron in the chest. The Steel Type roared in pain as the flames impacted its body, but it didn't last long. It managed to stay on its feet.

Typhlosion's eyes went from fierce to shocked, widening as Aggron straightened and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.

Aggron lifted Typhlosion high into the air and then slammed it hard into the ground, turning and throwing it at Umbreon, who'd been coming back for another attack. Typhlosion slammed into Umbreon and the two Pokémon went flying up the path. Umbreon landed with Typhlosion on top of it, the latter's eyes wide open, its huge tongue lolling from its mouth.

Hunter watched the entire sequence happen in shock. _Steel is weak against fire…how is that Aggron still standing? There's not even a scratch on it!_

Aggron roared at Umbreon and the unconscious Typhlosion, then turned back to the rest and roared at them. Charizard roared and took off, flying low to the ground before opening its mouth and spewing a massive Flamethrower at Aggron. The Steel Type countered with a Flash Cannon that impacted the stream of fire, causing another explosion, Aggron charged through the smoke and hit Charizard square in the stomach with a Mega Punch. The Dragon Pokémon choked, its cheeks bulging and then returning to their original size as Charizard vomited across Aggron's arm. The Steel Pokémon then grabbed Charizard's head and slammed it into the ground. Lifting Charizard's now-bleeding head from the shattered rock, Aggron slammed Charizard's face into the rock wall to its right. It then wound up like it was about to pitch a baseball before throwing Charizard. The Dragon Pokémon flew a short distance before hitting the ground, its bloody head bouncing once before landing and lying still, like Typhlosion, its eyes wide open and its huge tongue lolling.

Hunter looked at Charizard's motionless body with eyes that had widened even more during the short fight. He then looked up at Aggron, roaring to the sky after its latest victory. He bit his lip. _Charizard's attack didn't even come close…and that Aggron is far stronger than it should be._ He closed his eyes; a final test.

The Aggron had no Aura.

Hunter's eyes snapped open. That proved it. The same force that had kidnapped Taren was the same force at work here. He pointed at Aggron. "Raichu, Volt Tackle!"

Raichu darted forward, running faster and faster until a wave of electricity surrounded it. It leapt forward, hitting Aggron in the chest. This attack seemed to have more effect, the electricity from Raichu's assault conducting through Aggron's steel hide. Raichu jumped away from Aggron, then jumped upwards, swinging its tail, now glowing with the white light of an Iron Tail.

Its cry of surprise when Aggron grabbed the tail made Hunter realized just how much trouble they were in. Aggron reeled Raichu in and grabbed it by the throat, squeezing as Raichu grunted in pain. Hunter looked at Umbreon. It was still trying to free itself from the still-unconscious Typhlosion. He looked back at Aggron, and almost immediately wished he hadn't as Aggron turned and threw Raichu into the rock wall. There was a loud crashing noise and a cloud of dust, and then there was a hole where Raichu had hit the wall. Hunter winced.

Aggron turned and roared at them again. Scyther and Swellow were all that he had left. Swellow took off and Scyther stood in front of Hunter, protecting its trainer even though it knew full well there was nothing it could do to stop this enormous monster that had hurt its friends so easily.

There was a cry from above. Swellow was dive-bombing the Aggron, hitting it across the face with a Double-Edge. Moving back towards Hunter only to pull a 180 and fly back towards Aggron, it was met with a fist to the cheek that folded skin and feathers into ridges and caused it to flip in place, over and over again until it landed on the ground.

"Swellow!" Hunter cried, dreading what was about to happen.

"_Swe…sweLOW!" _Swellow cried the sudden increase in volume going from a plea for Hunter to run to a cry of pain as Aggron brought one foot down on its head, knocking it unconscious like three of its companions. Aggron appeared not to notice the Bird Pokémon it stood on as it stared at the puny Bug Pokémon that protected the frail human.

Scyther looked at Hunter out of the corner of its eye. Hunter shook his head. "You can say what you want, but I'm staying, Scyther. Nothing you do can convince me otherwise."

Scyther looked around Aggron's bulk. Umbreon had finally managed to free itself from Typhlosion's body, and small blue flames were beginning to swirl around the shadow fox's form. Scyther smiled, a plan coming together in its mind. Umbreon looked at it and nodded. It fired the Will-O'-Wisp at Aggron and the Steel Type roared in pain as blue fire splashed across its back.

As soon as the attack hit Scyther flew forward, raising both bladed claws and bringing them down in an X shape. The X-Scissor knocked Aggron back a few paces and Umbreon ran forward, jumping around and spinning as it hit Aggron across the face with an Iron Tail. Aggron looked like it would fall backwards. Hunter pleaded to himself that it did.

It didn't work. Before Scyther and Umbreon could catch their breath, Aggron caught its footing, grabbed their legs and flung them into the air. Scyther and Umbreon cried out in shock as Aggron threw them in a manner as to have them fly in a circle in front of it. The glow of a Mega Punch enveloping each huge hand, Aggron brought them together on the two in a sick imitation of a clap, crushing the two between its paws.

Two loud, agonized cries split the air, Hunter shutting its eyes and screaming with them. _I didn't want this; I didn't want this, stop hurting them, please…_

He looked up as the screams abruptly died. Praying that the same hadn't happened to the owners, he saw Aggron looking down at the two battered and unconscious Pokémon lying in front of it.

It looked up at Hunter. The boy prepared an Aura Sphere, now certain that whatever force had it in for him was about to accomplish its goal.

Then a small green ball of energy flew in from out of the blue, striking Aggron and obscuring its features in smoke from an explosion.

Shaymin came to a stop, floating at head height. It charged a second Energy Ball and fired it as the smoke cleared. Aggron was hit again.

"What are you doing here?" Hunter asked it. "I told you to stay back!"

_I saw what was happening!_ Shaymin retorted. _It looked like you needed help!_

_It's right,_ Hunter thought. _I do need help._ He fired the Aura Sphere at Aggron, sending the Steel Type back a step. Hunter conjured a staff made of Aura in his hands and charged forward, spinning it and striking Aggron in dozens of different places almost faster than the eye could follow. He ended the flurry of blows with another strike across Aggron's face along with an Aura-assisted push that sent Aggron backwards another two steps. They'd passed Umbreon, Scyther, Charizard, and Swellow's bodies. They'd also passed the hole that Raichu was in.

Aggron raised one fist; another Mega Punch. Hunter raised the staff and knocked the fist to the side as it came down, twirling and hitting Aggron in the back of the head before twirling against and hitting it across the face, hard.

Aggron swept its tail but Hunter backflipped over it, landing and then jumping again to place his hand on the side of the Aggron's head. He fired an Aura Sphere point-blank, and the Aggron stumbled away from the cloud of smoke. It staggered around the cliff, blind temporarily.

It was enough. It got too close to the edge of the cliff and went tumbling down, a loud _crack_ splitting the air at the collapse. It fell with a loud roar.

Hunter, breathing heavily, sat down. Shaymin flew over, looking at him. _Are you okay?_

Hunter took a deep breath and nodded. "We'll have to make camp here for the night and make the others as comfortable as possible. The nearest Pokémon Center's days away."

Shaymin nodded.

**I didn't really intend for this chapter to be so long...anyways, part of this fight scene was taken from a Ginga Densetsu Weed episode. The story's almost over, and right now I'm _close_ to finishing another Redwall story, but I'm stuck on it. This chapter was posted around 10:00 at night Central US Time, because I just got Halo 3: ODST and I've been playing it all day. Beat it a few hours ago... anyways, R and R!**


	7. Chapter 7

That night, Hunter sat with his back against the cliff face. A fire burned, throwing shadows and golden light against the wall. Around the fire were six pallets, on which Hunter's Pokémon lay. All six were covered by blankets, sleeping off their wounds. He'd cleaned and nursed their injuries as best as he could; he was no Nurse Joy. He stayed awake for hours, watching every shift in position, every sleepy snort or noise that they made.

He leaned back, looking up at the stars and moon. A voice startled him.

_Beautiful, isn't it?_

Hunter looked beside him. Lucario sat there, looking up at the sky.

Hunter smiled. _How long have you been there?_

_Not long. I watched the fight. Your Pok__émon are extremely loyal to you, to not run even when it was clear they couldn't win. I looked into their thoughts. They were focused on protecting you._

Hunter looked at them all. _I'm proud of them. They've all exceeded every expectation I had for them._

Lucario smiled. _I have no doubt. You will complete this little escapade tomorrow?_

_Yes. Shaymin's almost there. _

_Will you miss it?_

Hunter thought for a moment, then nodded. _Yeah. Hopefully it'll grow up a bit. _

_It's young. Was Taren so different? Were you?_

Hunter pressed his lips together in thought. Then he shrugged. _No. You're right._

_Have you been practicing?_

Hunter shook his head. _Remember, I spoke to you the night before this happened. _

_True. But don't forget._

_I won't. Don't worry._

Lucario put a paw on his student's shoulder. _Do not forget, you still have much to learn. And it will always be so. _

_I know. What have you been up to?_

_Not much. It's a bit boring here. Beautiful, but quiet. There's almost nothing else living around. Arceus and a few others, but nothing else._

_So you relish whenever you get to do this?_

_The world is interesting. You, for example, manage to get into far more trouble than I expected you to be capable of._

Hunter smiled. _Maybe. But that's the way I am._

_True. My time here is up. _

_Will you come back soon?_

_As soon as possible. I promise._

Lucario dissolved into the air. Hunter leaned back again, closing his eyes. Though he didn't intend to, he fell asleep.

He woke up in a massive, black expanse. Swirls of little black shapes with one eye each sped past him. He suddenly narrowed his eyes as two lights lit the blackness around him. One was pink, the other blue.

_It is him,_ said one.

_Then now is the time to tell him,_ said the other.

_Tell me what?_ Hunter asked in thought.

_Our explanations. You know who we are, Aura-user. Think back._

Hunter searched his memories before finally coming up with something. Spear Pillar. Dialga and Palkia. Lucario.

He glared up at them. _What do you want with me?_

_We want to explain our actions to you,_ replied Dialga._ While it is true that we went to your world of our own free will, our purpose for doing so was not ours._

_How is that? _Hunter asked, doubting he'd find the answer satisfactory.

_We were deceived,_ said Palkia.

_How so?_

_A strange intruder upon our domain,_ Dialga said. _A wicked presence, though we did not know it at the time._

_And what did you know?_

_We had no reason to doubt it as of yet. It managed to convince us that you and your teacher were planning to do away with us, leaving time and space at the mercy of fate._

_And you believed it._

_Indeed, _Palkia replied. _And so we came to your world, making ourselves as obvious as possible to draw you to us._

_Though the battle did not go as planned_, Dialga mused. Hunter remembered. The Aura bursting out of him, creating the portal that had shoved the two deities back into their own world.

_Why should I believe you? You tried to kill me and murdered my teacher._

_Again, we did not know of the lie it was until it was too late. Upon our failure, the intruder left our domain and entered the physical world. And now it has become obsessed with killing you. It wishes to conquer the planet and everything connected with it, and believes that if you are stronger than even us, then you must be dealt with first._

Hunter looked at them both. _What should I do?_

_You must fight this menace. And I can see your fate, human. The attempt will cost you your life._

_But will I do it?_

_I believe you can. It is not my place to inform you of everything. Time must be allowed to run its course unaltered._

Hunter felt himself drifting away. He looked at them both as his vision began to fade. _What is this thing? Tell me its name!_

The last sound he heard before waking was both of their voices speaking as one. _Deoxys…_

Hunter woke.

**There you have it. The story behind everything that's happened, except for the second and third installments of the series. Also, I have a question to any people that work in a hospital that are reading these stories. Is it even possible to be knocked unconscious with your eyes open? Anyways, R and R!**


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a pair of red ones staring back into his own. Typhlosion, though still battered and with several bruises around its face and body, stood in front of him. As Hunter stared at Typhlosion, the Fire Pokémon gave his face a huge lick; its version of a "good morning".

Hunter wiped his face and looked around. The other Pokémon were up and around as well, all looking at him. The boy smiled. "Everybody okay?"

There was a loud chorus of affirmative noises. Hunter nodded. After eating and packing up the campsite, they continued up the slope, all of them walking. Shaymin, now knowing that its journey was almost at an end, flew around in high spirits, laughing.

Finally, they came to the top of a rise. Hunter looked around in awe as he looked at the carpet of pink flowers that nearly concealed the grass. There was rustling in many parts of it, the odd _min_ making its way to his ears. Shaymin, a wide smile on its face, looked at Hunter. _Do you like it?_

Hunter smiled and nodded. "It's beautiful, Shaymin."

Shaymin flew down towards the garden, followed by Hunter and the others.

Hunter sat down against the rock and took out his sketch pad. He began to draw the flower garden. He could see Shaymin walking through the flowers, wishing each other good morning. A few minutes later, the sketch done, Hunter sat and watched the Shaymin frolic.

They stayed there for a long time. Their Shaymin eventually came back to them, and began to play with Hunter's Pokémon.

Eventually, the day had to end. The sun began to set, though the Pokémon's energy was undaunted.

Typhlosion was lying on the ground, in the ending phases of a power nap. As its eyes fluttered open, Shaymin flew down to the ground and walked over to it. Placing its paws on Typhlosion's nose, it looked into Typhlosion's eyes and laughed. Hunter got a laugh himself as Typhlosion responded to the playful Gratitude Pokémon with a huge lick from chin to forehead. Shaymin backed away, wiping its soaked face with a paw. It laughed all the same. They all did.

Eventually, Hunter sat on the rock with the others, looking down over the garden. Shaymin flew up to them, landing in Hunter's lap. _Will you come back and visit?_

Hunter looked up, out over the landscape. "I don't know, Shaymin. This'll probably be the last time we see each other."

_What? _Shaymin cried. _But it can't be! I like travelling with you!_

"But you have a family here, Shaymin. All your friends."

Shaymin's eyes were beginning to sparkle, evidence of tears forming. _But…but…_

"No buts, Shaymin. You need to stay here with the rest. It's where you belong."

_But I want to come with you!_

"You can't. I'm sorry, Shaymin."

Shaymin nestled itself in the folds of his shirt, tears now streaming down its cheeks and through its white facial fur. _Please…_ it said. _Don't go!_

"Shaymin, look at me."

Shaymin appeared not to hear, still crying into his shirt. Hunter spoke again, this time forcefully. "_Look at me!_"

Shaymin stopped crying and looked up at Hunter's face. Hunter sighed. "I'm sorry, Shaymin. But I'll tell you what I told my son when he left home."

_What's that?_ Shaymin asked as its voice wobbled.

"This is part of life. You have to learn to let go of things."

_But I'll never see you again! I don't want to forget you!_

"You won't. And how do you know we won't see each other again?"

_You said!_

"No, I said _probably._ There's a difference, Shaymin. What does your heart tell you about that?"

Shaymin thought for a moment, staring down at its tiny chest. _Yes…_ it said finally, not looking at him. _I think._

Hunter smiled and scratched Shaymin's head. "Then we will. Just trust yourself. And do your best to remember."

Shaymin looked up at him, then nodded. The odd tear still fell from its eyes. _I'll miss you._

"I know. Likewise."

Hunter stood up and returned his Pokémon. They'd go to the nearest Pokémon Center, get fully healed, and then on to their next destination. He began to walk down the mountain, pausing to look back at the tiny form on top of the rock.

Shaymin watched Hunter, doing its best to keep a straight face. _I won't forget, Hunter_,it thought to itself. _I promise._

Hunter turned and began to jump from ledge to ledge down the cliff. He'd heard Shaymin's thought. He smiled as he kept jumping. _I know you won't, Shaymin. I get the feeling we haven't seen the last of each other._

**They haven't. Shaymin will show up in the next story. Anyways, I'm going to post the last chapter of this, along with a message related to the series. R and R!**


	9. Chapter 9

The port was busy at this time of day. Hunter sat on a bench, looking through the sketches he'd made. His Pokémon sleeping with Shaymin in their midst, the flower garden, and earlier things he'd made in the six months before he met Shaymin. He looked up as the intercom chimed and a female voice came over it.

_"Attention all Alto Mare ferry passengers, your ferry is now boarding at Gate 12. Repeat, all Alto Mare ferry passengers, boarding is commencing at Gate 12. Have a pleasant day."_

Hunter got up and put his sketch pad away, Umbreon getting up and hopping off the bench. Hunter got on board the ferry and stood at the prow as, a few minutes later, the boat got under way. He watched the water split in front of the ship's prow, then turned his gaze forward, watching the buildings in Alto Mare grow more and more distinct.

He sighed. _I may be able to settle down here. I'd probably like it._

He looked at Umbreon. "What do you think? Like it or not?"

Umbreon put its paws on the railing and looked at the city. It then turned its gaze back to Hunter and nodded, closing its eyes and smiling. "Umbre!"

"Good." Hunter turned away from the prow and went to go find a videophone. He found an empty one and dialed Veilstone. The first person to pick it up was Taren. There was some sort of tan gooey substance on his cheek. Hunter smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Do I even want to know?"

_It's not vomit, if that's what you're thinking, Dad. He's throwing food and enjoys doing it._

"He doesn't do it to Mara, though."

_No. He'd never dream of it._

Hunter smiled again. "I've gotten done with my little escapade, Taren. And I've got an idea."

_Yeah? What is it?_

"You could come to Alto Mare. Visit me. I'm planning on settling down here. With you and Mara and Lucar, if you want."

_Of course! _Taren cried. _Of course I want to come! You can tell me everything that you've been up to! _He suddenly ran off to the side. Hunter had the distinct impression he was announcing what Hunter had said. He was right, because Maylene came onto the screen. "Seriously? You want us to come to Alto Mare?"

"Why not? Have you ever been out of Sinnoh?"

Maylene shook her head. "No. It'd be good, though. We'll be over as soon as we can."

Hunter smiled. "Good. I look forward to it. Bye, Maylene."

"Bye."

"Bye Taren."

_Bye Dad. I love you._

_Love you too. _

Hunter switched off the videophone, Umbreon looking up at him from its sitting position on the floor. Hunter looked down at it. "Well, it looks like Alto Mare will be our new home soon."

Umbreon smiled and gave an approving nod.

Hunter went back out to the prow, watching as the ferry came closer to the shore. _This is just the beginning of another adventure,_ he thought to himself. _And if Deoxys tries to kill me again, I'll be ready for it._

**I'm going to try making the next story the longest one of the series. It'll actually have two different plots in it. R and R! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, this chapter's going to be all about something related to the story.**

**I first posted _Teacher of the Aura_ in March of this year, and while it hasn't become my most popular story, it's the series itself that I really love to work on. Through all of the bouts of writer's block, even though I couldn't think of anything throughout the current story, I was already creating ideas for the rest of the stories. Some ideas were both thought up and dropped (I originally intended to have the story of how Taren was born into another story, but aside from the scene where his mother dies, I couldn't think of anything to move it along.) I'd just like to thank everyone who read the series through to the end and reviewed it for all of their support, and even to the ones who only read it without reviewing.  
**

**So, now for the bad news.**

**The next story, _A New Beginning,_ will be the final chapter in The Aura Chronicles. It took me a while to think up Deoxys as the main antagonist, but even though it's been unseen for the time being, I'll be bringing it into the story with every power I can think of, except the mind control. I've probably overused that. Taren and the rest of the Veilstoners will be playing a major role in the story now, coming to Alto Mare to originally visit, but Taren and his family will end up living there. Aside from a oneshot (the long-ago promised Hunter vs. Ash full battle), the next story will be my last in the series. I'll by no means give up on writing stories with the topic of Pokémon (I already have a new story from the point of view of a Buizel in the works, though it hasn't been put to paper yet) but _A New Beginning_ will be the last you'll hear from Hunter, Taren, and the others. **

**So, once again, I'd like to thank everyone who's followed the series through this far, and trust me, I'm going to do everything I can to make the last story the best out of them all.**

**Thank you,**

**Hunter Stag  
**


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